D&D 5E Full preview unlocked!

[Paraxis]

So the new TOC includes a 6-page Appendix C: Maps. Making maps? Sample maps? How to read them?

I can see it, one blank hex grid on scroll paper looking background for overland mapping, one blank grid page with stone floor pattern, a few pages of standard buildings like black smiths shop, general store, tavern, inn, sample dungeon. Easy to fill in pages on maps in a D&D book.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Yup! Here it is! (Updated TOC) ]

Well THAT makes a lot more sense.

Anyone wanna analyse what's changed?

 

[Quickleaf]

Well THAT makes a lot more sense.

Anyone wanna analyse what's changed?

Done. I noticed some interesting changes between the first TOC and the revised TOC. Mainly some extra pages of magic items, Madness (I'm guessing for Cthulu style games), and several pages of Maps in the appendix.

[sblock=Summary of changes]
Introduction - What Does a DM Do? was replaced with "How to Use This Book" and "Know Your Players"

Chapter 3 - Important Events absorbed into other sections, possibly Random Encounters

Chapter 5 - Urban Survival renamed "Urban Encounters"

Chapter 7 - Alternative Rewards and Rewards At 20th Level merged into "Other Rewards". Also, several pages of magic items were added.

Chapter 8 - added 2 pages on "Madness" & added 1 page to Chases

Appendix - added 6 pages of "Maps"[/sblock]

 

[Quickleaf]

I am confused about the amount of planar stuff present - I am a huge fan of the planes, and Planescape, but I don't see the reason to dedicate so much of the DMG to it. I know the 3.5 one had a similar amount, it just baffles me. I don't think the vast majority of new DMs (for whom this book is important) will want to run planar campaigns, and experienced DMs already have their own cosmologies or use established ones.

I too am puzzled by the decision to include so many pages to planar material! Maybe they don't plan on doing a Manual of the Planes for a long while?

I would think that a fleshed out introductory town and mini-adventure would be better received... something like a Hommlet or Fallcrest (from the 4e DMG). Shoot the amount of planar content could have been cut in half to make room for this.

 

[SkidAce]

Still one page for magic item creation guidance. And on further thought, that might be a god thing, if it is elegant and simple.

Don't want to play Dungeons and Excels after all.

 

[thalmin]

I am confused about the amount of planar stuff present - I am a huge fan of the planes, and Planescape, but I don't see the reason to dedicate so much of the DMG to it. I know the 3.5 one had a similar amount, it just baffles me. I don't think the vast majority of new DMs (for whom this book is important) will want to run planar campaigns, and experienced DMs already have their own cosmologies or use established ones.

New DMs don't stay novices. Many may need this info if their campaigns get up to higher levels. And even if they don't, it's exciting to see some of the possibilities.

 

[Zaukrie]

Doesn't look like unearthed arcana for 5e. Alas.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Regarding planar stuff...

The unique planes of D&D are an important part of product identity. No one has to use them, but putting them in is a way of saying this is Dungeons & Dragons, rather than this is some fantasy game.

I'm guessing that the only real planar product we will have will be a Planescape book of some sort, which will include all the important missing planar monsters, planetouched races, and more in-depth in-character info on the planes than a DM/player who wants a casual guide to the planes, but not a planescape campaign, may find useful. Therefore the DMG should have a sufficient amount to give them what they need to work with. Hopefully it is a similar amount of info as the 3.5 DMG, and hopefully that will be enough.

Myself, I need the planar creatures and planetouched, so I'm really hoping for a planar/Planescape supplement soon. It's right after psionics on my post-DMG priorities list.

Regarding chases...

What is taking up so much space? 3 pages is an enormous amount of material in this edition. The combat chapter in the PHB is only 10 pages with art. I can't imagine what they are doing in those pages, but something tells me it isn't just chases.

 

[steeldragons]

What is taking up so much space? 3 pages is an enormous amount of material in this edition. The combat chapter in the PHB is only 10 pages with art. I can't imagine what they are doing in those pages, but something tells me it isn't just chases.

If I were to hazard a guess...I'd guess we'd see what to do for: difficult terrain of A-Z types. Mounted movement/chases. Ship movement/chases [A-Z kind of ships]. Flight movement/chases [A-Z ways to be flying]...maybe -given the presence of firearms and explosives- [grr.blek.] Modern & Sci-fi vehicle movement/chases [motorcycles, cars, tanks, jet-steeds, hovercraft, spaceship, etc...].

With tables/charts, maybe some margin art. I could see that needing 3 pages, easily.
Just a guess.

 

[Iosue]

Mearls has stated that conversion guides for older editions will be released after the DMG. I prefer this approach: I'd rather have them be separate publications and keep the core rulebook for the 5e rules.

And IIRC, he talked about them being put up online. This was one thing that was intended for the DMG, but ultimately they had to cut it and think of a different way to present it. I'm sure it's not the only one.

People seem to get confused over what constitutes a concrete, honest to god promise, and what constitutes a design goal. Nothing was ever promised, set in stone, and absolutely told to us that we were going to have the tools to make 5E into whatever edition we wanted. We were told that they were looking into modular rulesets to help emulate the feel of multiple editions at the table. In some ways, that's been accomplished right in the PHB. And there may be other rules that help emulate older editions in the DMG. But design intentions and goals change over the course of development. Look no further than 4th edition and how incredibly different it was from the initial talk and design planning we heard about, as well as how different it was form it's "beta" products (Tome of Battle and Star Wars Saga Edition).

Nobody lied, and there's nothing saying these rules aren't available in some form. Design changes with development, and getting hung up on "promises" and comments made one or two years ago across the ongoing development of a game is silly.

Indeed, agreed 100%. You can also see why WotC has played their cards so close to their chests through this whole process. Everything they've said, including spitballing and "Ideally, I'd like to..." type statements end up being taken as promises, and when they don't go that route people talk about WotC deceiving them.

For those disappointed by how few pages in the DMG are dedicated to optional rules/modules, I think a little perspective is in order. The Dungeon Master's Workshop chapter has 26 pages (25 if you assume a full art page at the front of the chapter). If you look at the PHB, the ENTIRE rules of the game (chapters 7-9) is covered in 27 pages (24 if you don't count the full art pages at the front of each chapter). So there are more pages in the DMG dedicated to rules options than there are pages in the PHB dedicated to the actual rules of the game. And this doesn't even factor in the possibility that there are sidebars with optional rules in other sections of the DMG. For someone craving rules options/modules, I for one am not disappointed in the least.

Nor I! One thing I've been impressed with in 5e is how much they've packed into the books and PDFs. I expect the DMG to be a treasure trove of options.